THE WILD UNKNOWN ANIMAL SPIRIT GUIDEBOOK KIM KRANSTHE WILD UNKNOWN@ ‘HarperOne THe wo uvxnown. Copyright © Lois by Kim Krans. fl rights reserved. Printed ia China. No part of this bork may be used or reproduced in any maaner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief guotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address HarperCallins Publishers, 19S Broadway, New York, NY 10007. HarperCollins ecks may be gurchased far educational, Business, or sales promo tional use. For information please email the special markets department ot sPsales@hacpercellins com HacperGollins website: http (/wwwhacpercellins.com Pest einen Designed by Kim keans & Su Barber Library of Congress Cataloying-in-Pudlication Data has been applied For and is avaslatle pon reguest Names: Kraas, kin, Author. Title: The Wild Unknown Asimal Spivit Guidebook / kim Krans. Description: San Francisco, Ch: Harperdre, [2018] ISBN 978-0-06-274286-5 19 29 2) 22 Imago 1098765 43CONTENTS The Eagle Meets the Kabsit. . UNDERSTANDING THE DECK Long Long Ago : se Natural Selection... 6... cee Earth. cee . Water oe eee Fire USING THE DECK What's My Spirit Anmal?... What to Ask. . . When to Ask It... 0.00... Caring for Your Deck. Shuffhiag & cutting - Spreads. DEEPER INSIGHTS The Card Order. The Food Web : teas Apex Predators............. . The Nature Connection.......... THE WILD UNKNOWN ANIMAL SPIRIT Earth Cards... eee eee Water Cards See Fice Cards... ee, Ac Cards... . Spirit Cards . 33 . 3s . 36 .. 37 - 38 - 40 a) . St $3 ot $9 89 19 149 979THE EAGLE MEETS THE RABBIT When | was eleven years old | began playing basketéall. | was secious about it and practiced hard, somehow landing myself as the co-captain of the team even though my limbs were thia and lanky. What | did have going for me was a natural knack for leadership and razor sharp eyes. Rather than calhag me by my last same, the coach gave me the nickname "Eagle." I+ gave me a rush. | was both afraid of the name and enamored of it. I envisioned the great bid, ancient and wise, Soaring over the Earth. was it possiéle that was me? Was it true? When I led the team oato the court for pre-game warm-ups | did Feel like an Eagle. dur team went undefeated through both Ith and 8th grades. we were vastoppable...and thea came high schdol Along with a handful of my teammates, / was token up to varsity as a freshman. This meant we got, among other Social boars, the coveted "varsity jacket" we'd been dreaming of all through middle school. | Filled out the order form for a custom jacket with my aame on itIn gold embroidery on black fabric it read: Eagle over the next few weeks the guestions poured ta. "Why does your jacket say that?” "What does ‘Eagle’ mean?” "Why doesn't it say ‘Kim'?” The problem was, | didn't give them the answer. Instead, something else happened that's most easily Synopsized by Saying my inner Rabbit emerged. | went into my mom's sewing room and found a Seam ripper and razor blade. Slowly but surely | cut the embroidered cursive letters out. My Jacket no longer said Eagle in golden thread. Now it said Eagle in tiny, leftover puncture marks and seratches. No matter how | tried to smooth out the fabric, the threadbare silhouette remained. | hid the jacket in the closet. Fam interested in moments like this. Not just tn my past, but in yours too. What had the concept of the Eagle awakened in me? How can we éelieve So fully in something, and yet a few weeks later a voice can creep in and pull the rug from under us? The Rabbit asks endless annoying guestioas, hike "Are you really good enough?," "What do they think of you?," "Ace you suce?," "What if it’s aot okay?" The Rabéit is relentless. Even though the Eagle could swoop down and devour the Rabbit at any moment, it doesn’t. It's as if the Rabbitmakes the Eagle forget its job description Aad so goes the push and pull ef aur hves. we feel strong and then weak, sure and then confused. This power play between my inner Eagle and my inner Rabbit has been of interest to me for years. It was actually the subject of the very first calendar | drew vader the meniker "The Wild Unknown." That was seven years ago, aad the puzzle js still aot solved In an attempt to delve into the mystery, please welcome The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck. It 18 an exploration of our inner contradictions, our complex natures, and the endless mystery of who we are. We start this exploration by looking outside ourselves and asking Mother Nature for guidance. What can we learn from the great ereatures who have inhabited our planet since the dawn of time? What can we leaca from the slow, stealth nature of the Cracodile? What does the Hummingbird tell vs about savoring the sweetness of hfe? While drawing and writing the Aamal Spit deck, there was not a single card that depicted a feeling or experience | have not been through. The essence of all sixty-three creatures 1s withia us, just as we are ia them. The humanexperience is infinitely vast, as is the wisdom buried in every crevice of the natural world. | hope these cards steer you toward your inaate intelli gence and toward expansion, and | hope that many wild ereatures grace your path along the way. May you always be oa the inner guest. with love, Bhim farUNDERSTANDING THE DECKLONG LONG AGO Since the beginning of time, animals have played an iategcal cole in the story of humanity. Ia creation myths far aad wide you will find complex aad transformative celationships between creatures and humans. Let your mind go way, way back to simpler times and ancient civilizations where half - man half-beasts roamed the earth, serpents in trees tempted humans with fruit, sirens sang along the water's edge, ravens delivered messages, and fish whispered prophecies. Then let the countless Paintings covering cave walls ia Lascaux, France and throughout Europe take you back over Seventeen thousand years. And what are our aivihzation’s very first paintings of 2 Creatures and humans! Some believe the images tell the stories of great hunting excursions, others believe they are records of our earliest shamame cituals depicting ove ability to commune with nature. Either way, these early cave paintings, along with myths from every culture across the globe, cemad us of oc eternal fascination with cceatures of the wild. We see a soaring birdand have to woader..how? The sheer strength of horses changed the progress of our nations. Many times in myths the interfacing with a creature becomes the defining moment in the story, from the snake in the Garden of Eden to Manu aad the Fish. Animals are woven deeply iato ovr human story and we coatiave to be woven into theiss. It's no sucprise we ace so jatimately tied to them, as creatures bg and small lead us humély toward the divine. | Say this because animals aatucally inspice reverence and wonder. We are transfixed by a peacock’s tail, curious about a cheetah’s spots, Speechless when we see a whale surface. Anytime we approach a state of awe, we are in relationship with divinity. We ace awake. While you work with the Aaimal Spirit cards I encourage you to resist the idea that there 1S a *cight" o¢ “Fixed” interpretation ovt there, to resist the notion that our relationship to animals belongs to any one System, nation, era, or culture Instead, contemplate the possibilty that these sacred creatures reside within all of us, as they always have. Relating to the mysterious creatures of our Earth is as intrinsic as breathing. We long for the sacred and therefore we long for our connection to the wild. Animals take us out of ourhuman ego mindsets and into the realm of magic and possibility. Take pact ia this tradition—this deeply human tradition—and let the creatures guide you toward the divine within. There could be no greater gift to Mother Nature. DIVINITY HUMANS ANIMALSNATURAL SELECTION AS you can imagine, the mast difficult step in creating this deck was selecting the animals Who's ia and who's out? With an estimated tea thousand species of bids alone, i+ was not an easy task. | leaked to other animal decks for guidance, without finding much appareat reasoning behind their selections. Some included a Crow but no vultuce; some had many cards, some few. With the vision of a million dewy-eyed creatures peering ot me while | worked, | needed some structure and | needed it badly Seon the ancient wisdom of yoga and my famihanty with the Tarot came to the rescue 1 stcuctured the deck by separating the animals iato the elements according to their habitats Yoga philosophy deems Lacth, Water, Fire, Air, aad Ether to be the building blocks of all existence. We are a living and breathing blend of these five elements, as is everything ia our universe. Like the Tacot, | selected fourteen cards +o make up each of the first four elemental “suits.” The Eacth creatures roam the field and forest, the Water 21cceatuces inhabit the rivers and oceans, the Fire creatures live in the deserts aad grasslands, the Air creatures belong to the sky, aad...thea come the seven cosmic Spirit cards. According to yoga philosophy, the fifth aad final element is Space, o¢ Ether. For our purposes, I've given these ethereal creatures the more suitable title of Spuit. These ace the trump cards of the deck. They play a cole similar to the Major Arcana in the Taret. There are seven Spirit cards, one to represent each of the chakras withia the subtle body. Sounds somewhat logical, aight? Easy peasy? Almost. AS the drawings began to take shape, ! noticed the Cat cacd didn't seem to Fit in. I wondered why. It was one of my favorite drawings, yet the deck was slowly beginning to have a mind of its own, a Story to tell that dida't include the Cat. | reahzed the deck was wild. No domestic animals. Vo loyal dogs, Ao curious cats, no gerbils, chickens, o¢ goldfish. A whole slew of fabulous animals were outed. It had to be done. After all, ! call myself The Wild Unknown. This being said, | hope that you will use these cards with liberty. If you desperately need a Cat card, look to the bg cats for consolation 22(Cheetah, Panther, Lion, and Tiger) Likewise the Wolf doesn't stray too far from the Dog. There ace bound to be animals you'll miss; the odds aren't ia my Favor oa this one. My hope is that you'll let 90 of what isa't included and delve iato what is. pre “A oi rey aoe’ CHEE TRA \ T woeF 23¥ EARTH ¥ CREATURES OF THE FIELD & FOREST The suit of survival and instinct, the Eacth cceatures represent ous relationships with fears and habits. Ia general, the creatures of this suit are grounded, dependable, and supportive. However, Since they are so drawn to routine, they often become stuck in theic ways. Several Earth cards indicate that coasciousness remains codted in the material plane, or as referred to ia yoga, the "gross" cealm. This means practical concerns (money, home, work, and family) ace at the forefront of the mind, aot leaving room for much else. Movement and exercise are especially helpful +o counter the stagnation or "stuck-ness" that can accompany excess Earth element LtV WATER V CREATURES OF THE OCEANS, RIVERS, & LAKES The creatures of the Water element represent our emotional world and our ability to express. These cards point to relationships, love, boundaries, and creativity...ouc "Flow," if you will. Water creatures are often drawn to the arts, as they have a natural inclination toward beauty and depth. Several Water cards indicate an outpouring of creativity and/or emotion. This can be wonderful, jeyful, even romantic. However, when Water spills and makes a mess, disappointment and sometimes tears (they are Water after all) are sure to follow. Ideally, a healthy stream of communication flows through our lives. not too much Water, not too little. 2sA FIRE A CREATURES OF THE DESERT & GRASSLANDS The cceatuces of the Fire element lead us toward change They cepresent the ego, and challenge us +o become our best selves. Although these cacds appear more freguveatly when conflict or discomfort is present, the heat they emit 1s the elixic of our transformation. Several Fice cards indicate the "heat" is oa. It's a time of action and change. Deadlines and demands are around every tuca, but it's all in the name of growth. You'll look back on if ia awe of all that was accomplished. Whea all else fails, remember Fice is the only thing that transforms dackaess iato hght 26“”A AIR &#A CREATURES OF THE Sky The creatures of the Air element move guickly and decisively. They are known to "see" more than others, and this can lead to powerful and discerming Gualities. Aic creatures love movement and mobility, but the speed at which they move often leaves them ungrounded. Several Ac cards indicate tod much movement and aot enough Earth. Some people describe this as hving in the head rather than the body. It's difficult to make big decisions or remember our greater purpose when we lose our gcoundedness, so do whatever you must te reconnect to the physical realm. Slow walks in natuce will help get your feet back on the ground. 27O SPIRIT O CREATURES OF THE ETHER The creatures of the spirit element do not hve on Earth as we know it. They are inhabitants of a dimension beyond...the cosmic ether. These Seven trump cards represent Significant challenges or awakenings on the "subtle" level..the level of the inner Spirit or Soul, Like guacdians from another realm, they are watchful and protective when we are at a crossroads in our lives. Several Spicit cards indicate the force of life is moving us ia new directions. Trust is key with the Spirit cards, as life shifts in big ways. Questions might seem vaaaswerable, the future vakaown...but you've in the perfect place. Even if you have the perception that you're ia control, you're aot. Grace surrounds the situation and steecs the wheel. 28C)- seiait PX - alk /\ ~ Fike \/- WATER ALCHEMICAL SYMBOLS FOR THE FIVE ELEMENTS 23USING THE DECKWHAT'S MY SPIRIT ANIMAL? It's an evermintriguing guestion. When we ask it, our mind moves into the jungle, the tundra, the forest, the desert, the ocean..in Search of creatures big and Small that have somehow felt like our mascots, guardians, or allies. Maybe we did an online guiz and the answer came up just as we thought it would. "That's right,” we Say, "am a eutterfly! Maybe an intuitive told us we have uaresolved Wolf energy, and that didn't sit so well with us. Maybe we encountered an aaimal in nature at the perfect moment and have felt a strong kinship ever since. |, for example, escaped to the forests of the Pacific Northwest to finish the first draft of this 600k. "I'm going to see so many epic creatures,” | thought. "lam, after all, writing an Animal spirit guidebook!” So far I've encountered a few birds and a giant slug. | looked at that slug moving so slowly oa its journey across the mossy path, and I didn't have to think too hard about its message. It's the underdog of the Animal spirit world, reminding me to stay humble and to keep on writing, no matter 33the resistance. | thanked the slug for its message and apologized for not including it in the deck. | walked away grateful 6ut held back from naming the slug my Spirit Animal. Come on, Friends, you vaderstand why. Giant spicit slugs aside, | waat to encourage everyone who uses this deck not to get too huag up on the infamous guestion "What's my Spirit Animal?" AS soon as we claim to be a Lion and @ LidA only, hfe will show us ways ia which we ace also a Nightingale. These cards are about receiving quidance from the natural world that helps us navigate the complexity of life. We are multi-faceted, multi-dimensional, contradictory, creative, aad amazing beings. Delve in deep with me. Welcome to The Wild Unknown, 34WHAT TO ASK Before you start a reading, acknowledge what you're looking For. Do you want guidance with an vacesolved issue? Inspiration? Perhaps you need clarity about a celationship, or help in making a big decision. Sometimes a reading just pigues our interest and seems fun, and sometimes readings happen serendipitously. Whatever the case may be, take a moment before handling the cards and let a guestion formulate within you. Don't try to think up something complicated or "right." Although ovr mind has a thousand gvestions, ous heart only has a few...and those are the guestions we really seed to answer. Let the heart have its moment to speak A FEW QUESTIONS TO GET YOU STARTED: - What energy would help resolve this conflict? What will | enceuater today? - What pact of myself have ! Forgotten? 3sWHEN TO ASK IT There are many benefits to making a reading a ritual. You might clean your space, light a candle or incense, Set ovt your Favorite store or crystal, or perhaps you simply close your eyes and take a few long, slow, deep breaths before you begin The idea is to collect your attention and intention and direct them toward the reading. This is a moment for you to take a break from the world and to self-reflect. It's best not to demand answers from the cards when you're feeling impatient, agitated, or angry. Cool of fF First, collect yourself, and come back to the cards when you feel receptive. | have found sitting ia stillness for just a Few moments before handling the cards does wonders for the process. 3éCARING FOR YOUR DECK As with anything you care for, treat your Animal Spicit cards kindly. Think of them as creatures and friends, and give them a nice place to lay their heads when not in use. Take them out only to read, study, or enjoy the artwock...otherwise keep them in their box or a pouch. If you want to pull one card to display for inspiration, make sure to keep an eye on it. Once you stop noticing it, it’s time to put it back in the deck and pull another card. Try out simple gestures lke washing your hands before you handle the cards. | have also heard that the creatures of this deck respond well to a guiet "thank you" before tucking the cards away. 37SHUFFLING & CUTTING Eventually, we all develop ovr favorite way to shuffle and cut the deck. This takes time and experimentation, So for beginners | suggest a simple overhand shuffling method. when working with a new set of cards make sure to mix the cacds well. A great trick For bceaking in a deck 15 to spread out every card and famiharize yourself with the artwork, mxiag them up as you go. Don't be afraid to get lost ia this step—make small piles of cards that you like, and piles of cards you dea't vaderstand yet. Mx aad match and free associate. Before you know it you'll have an timate relationship with the cards and o well integrated deck. vo matter how broken in your deck is, it’s important to shuffle before every reading. Slowly cepeat your guestion 1a your mind (or alovd) while you shuffle, and stop when it feels right. Take as much time as you reed. When possible, uSe your aoa-domnant hand to cut the deck (usually that means the left haad). This is said to be the more ceceptive and intuitive Side. Agaia, you will develap 38a method of cutting that feels natural for you J lke +o use this simple three step process: I After shuffling, place cards in one stack. 2. Using your non-domiaant hard, separate the cards into three smaller piles, letting the cards "break" naturally. 3. In aay order that feels right to you, place the three piles back into one. Wow you're ready to start a reading, pulling the top card from the stack. 39A CARD A DAY ONE CARD READING The Animal Spirit deck lends itself well te a simple daily reading. The single card indicates a side of yourself you'll encouater today, or perhaps a situatian on the horizon. This practice iS especially powerful if you do it at the same time for several days in a row. Mornings are a potent time for readings. Keep a journal or take photos for reference. 40PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE THREE CARD READING When using Animal Spicit, the emphasis of this classic spread shifts from looking at situations ia our past, present, and future, to looking at the self. Use more of a "who I was," "who | am," “who | will be" framework. Don't be tod hard oa yourself if negative cards come up. Think of the cards as preventative medicine aad Shift your actions accordingly. past dynamic 2. present situation 3. future potential —7 2 4THE PATH, THE OBSTACLE TWO CARD READING This spread is a favorite, often used, and on- point old Friend. It reveals the problem and the Solution with no messing around. Use it when Something has been bothering you for a while, or you're at. a standstill with a creative project. It's also great when you feel down and out but don't know why. Its likely the cacd ia position two will be in its “out of balance" state for this reading. Reference the individual card descriptions For guidance. | the path 2. the obstacleRELATIONSHIP SPREAD FOUR CARD READING The Animal Spirit cards are like arrows piercing into the heart of our relationships. They reveal hidden dynamics and words left vaspoken. They remind us of our best and worst Selves. Use this spread to see what's going on between you and another person. Don't be fodled by the simplicity of the relationship spread. It holds a mirror up to your heart. you the other person the shadow dynamic > uwop the illuminated dynamic 43YEAR AHEAD SPREAD THIRTEEN CARD SPREAD The perfect reading to celebrate a birthday oc new year. Each card represents the essence of the moath, and the card in the ceater represents the overall theme of the year. You can either shuffle the deck once and pick all the cards from the stack consecutively, or shuffle between each pull. If you're dong this reading For a birthday, start with the curreat moath’s card in position one. There are lots of beautiful variations to this spread...make it your owa. 1 January 2. Febcvary 3. March 4. ete... 13. the overall "theme" of the year +tit geht ap Lad Sg 38 E GUS ES @DEEPER INSIGHTSTHE CARD ORDER You may have alveady noticed there are no numbers on the Animal Spicit cards. Once you start to shuffle, it’s hard to discern an order within the suits. However, for more advanced readers there 18a thread of logic that cuns theovgh each of the elements, or suits. You can refer back to the guidebook at any time to study the order ia which the cards are listed. Again, this is aot crucial for grasping the meaning of the cards, nor iS it a necessary step For delving deep into a reading. It is simply thece as aa additional layer. The order of the animals is not based on numerology, but rather a study of consciousness developing and expressing itself. The level of awakened elemental energy increases through the progression of each suit. For example, in the Aic element the ficst cacd is the Moth and the final card is the Eagle. Though the Moth 1s endearing 1a many ways, it struggles fo "see" and it lives a very Short life. The Eagle hves a long hfe, and stirs in uS a Sense of wonder and greatness. Likewise, ponder the progression 49of consciousness aad intelligence between the Crocodile and the Whale, oc the Fire Ant and the Lion. when the time is right, try adding this subtle layer to the wisdom of your readings. \i/ / S Par 6 zy sy 56THE FOOD WEB Consider the Rabbit for a moment. Worry and fear are apparent in every move it makes. We might even Judge the Rabbit. "Chill out," we say. "Be cool] ike the Fox!" 1 fell iato this camp until I looked at diagrams of the fodd web and saw the long list of predators waiting to snack on the Rabbit. It procreates like crazy because...well...it has to in order to sustain its species. After a while, a lifestyle like this takes its toll and the Rabbit simply has to be hypec-alert all the time Cpeople are like this too, by the way). The Fox, on the other hand, has very few predators. It coams the Earth as a hunter, not as the huated These dynamics are indeed biological, but being aware of and open to their message can bring new depth to your readings. When the Fox and the Rabbit show up in a reading together, know that there is a certain power dyname at play Same goes for the Frog and the Dragonfly, or the Owl and the Mouse. slAPEX PREDATORS Foc ceadecs interested in adding an even deeper layer to thew understanding of the cards, familiarize yourself with the apex predators withia the deck. They ace the "heavyweights" of the Earth, water, Fire, and Aic suits. Apex predators are anmals that do not have any Predators within their ecosystem, Therefore they do not live in fear like many other creatures do, as they are at the top of the fod chain. When any of these cards appear, know that you are deahag with a powerhouse. Net only that, but two apex predators from aifferent elements Clike the Lion and the Eagle) vsvally “lock horas," so to speak, since they are both used te being in command s3THE NATURE CONNECTION At some point alorg your jouraey with the Aaimal Spirit cacds, | hope you will put the guidebook down and forget all the esoteric animal iatecprefatioas you may have read online ac been told by someone in the past. Remember for a moment that these creatures exist in the wild. They surrovad us. Other thaa the spicit cacds (which belong to the uaseeable and subtle realm) these creatures are out there as we speak, being Fully and completely themselves studying them through a biological leas will deepen your relationship to these cards. Research theic behavior, their habitats. Look at thee shape, what they eat, how they communicate. How do they live? Fast or slow, with others or ia sohtude? What ace their tendencies? To fight, flee, oc make friends? Take some time with these guestioas and observe the animal for what it is. Set all of your previous assumptioas aside and watch a video ef a Cheetah chasing its prey. Watch a Moth dancing arovad the candlelight Get in touch with the essence and feeliag it St